Charlize Theron's Love Life: Broke Up With Stuart Townsend, Once Rumoured To Be Dating Brad Pitt

Charlize Theron is one of the most bankable stars of Hollywood. She is one of the highest-paid actresses and a highly acclaimed artist. Charlize has also made a name for herself with her no-holds-barred opinions, and encouraging better women representation and equal pay in the industry. She has received worldwide recognition for her beauty and strong personality. As the actress celebrates 50 years of life today on August 7, 2025, here's a look at her dating history and why she doesn't think it's important for her to get married. 

 Charlize Theron's first two public relationships 

Around the mid-'90s, when Charlize Theron was initially rising to prominence in the film industry, she dated Craig Bierko. The two kept the relationship under wraps, but Charlize once called her 'the luckiest girl in the world' during this time. After the pair broke up, the actress then dated musician, Stephen Jenkins for three years, until they broke up in 2001. The musician once revealed that his band, Third Eye Blind's Out of the Vein album, contains a few songs that were inspired by his relationship with Charlize. In an interview, Stephen had revealed to Spin:

“I’d gone through a really big breakup. It was a very public relationship, even though we made an effort for it to not be. It’s not something I was used to. It’s an age-old thing in Hollywood… some people date people because there is career value in it. That’s just not where we were at, at all."

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Charlize Theron's longest relationship was with Stuart Townsend 

Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend were together for nearly a decade, from 2002 to 2010. Even without an official marriage, they called each other husband and wife. Stuart had even said in an interview with People that he did not need to have a ceremony to call Charlize his wife. However, in 2010, the actress called it quits with Stuart, stating in a chat with Vogue that she wanted to make it work and gave it a fight, but the relationship was sinking. Once before their break-up, Charlize had told Elle UK in 2008:

“In my life there have been two people who formed me. My mother made me strong and wanted me to be invincible. Stuart made me softer. He was one of the few guys who wasn’t afraid of me. What he saw was not toughness but vulnerability. I am massively vulnerable, and for so long I just worked hard to cover that up. Stuart wasn’t scared to confront that. He is the one man who never worries about kicking me up the backside. It’s a good thing.”

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Charlize Theron reportedly ghosted her ex, Sean Penn 

Charlize Theron and Sean Penn connected over their passion for filmmaking and were longtime friends. However, love also blossomed between the two, and they started dating in 2013. Three years later, they broke up, and rumours started floating that Charlize had ghosted Sean. The actress denied these rumours and said that they decided to split since the relationship didn't work anymore. In a chat with WSJ Magazine, Charlize refuted the rumours and shared:

“There is this need to sensationalize things. When you leave a relationship there has to be some f***ing crazy story or some crazy drama. And the f***ing ghosting thing, like literally I still don’t even know what it is.”

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Charlize Theron was rumoured to be dating Brad Pitt and Keanu Reeves once 

Charlize Theron's name had once been linked to Brad Pitt. After an ad shoot of theirs became popular, a UK-based tabloid magazine claimed that sparks were flying between Charlize and Brad. But a few other reports shot down these rumours. Charlize was also reported to be dating her The  Devil's Advocate and Sweet November co-star, Keanu Reeves. However, these rumours were just wishful thinking on their fans' part. The two have remained very close friends throughout the years. 

Marriage is not important for Charlize Theron

As of now, Charlize appears to be single after breaking up with her last known boyfriend, Alex Dimitrijevic, with whom she had a brief relationship. Recently, in an interview with Andy Cohen, she mentioned that she used the exclusive dating app, Raya, but nothing came of it either. Charlize also once revealed back in 2017 that her marriage was not important. Talking about the subject of marriage to Howard Stern, the actress said:

“Marriage to me is not that important. I want to have a partner and have a monogamous long-term relationship, I really do. But I don’t need to have a wedding. My heart and my life and how I am with that guy is going to be exactly the same. I don’t need the party. I don’t need the white dress.”

What are your thoughts on Charlize Theron choosing to stay happily single? 

Also Read: Ana De Armas' Wild Love-life, Secret Divorce, Romance With Ben Affleck, Now Dating Tom Cruise

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